The Strangest Ghoul
by Rae the demiQuing
Summary: Kord sort-of-on-purpose sort-of-on-accident picks up a new slug during a mission. Oddly enough, the little guy hates slug tubes, gets along great with Doc and Burpy, loves when his slug buddies group hug, and almost always refuses to let Kord fire him. At first no one trusts the little guy... Who knew Ghouls could be so shy?
1. Chapter 1

**The Unknown Ghoul**

**Chapter One**

**The Ghoul name of Whopper belongs to Master-Of-Dreams on DeviantArt. Otherwise, I own the idea for this story. ^^ I sadly, do NOT own Slugterra. :(**

"Normal Speech"

_"Slug Speech"_

_/Thoughts, slug or otherwise/_

* * *

No One's P.o.V.

He didn't have a name.

Of course, most wild slugs didn't have names. At least, not exactly. But the slug equivalent of 'Hey you!' or 'Dude!' probably didn't count now did it?

Either way, he was a normal wild slug before. Not a fancy or rare slug, just a nice and safe Flopper. He really liked being a Flopper too, it was amazing the amount of fun a slug could have if they're pretty much indestructible.

Floppers are always thought to be lazy, but they really aren't. They're the biggest adrenaline junkies in all of Slugterra, even more than normal slugs. If other beings could understand slugs they'd know such a thing as a known fact.

Now, most slugs could understand Slugterran, but there were a few that didn't bother to learn. Most Floppers didn't. Why go through the trouble? Slingers pretty much _never_ chose Floppers for anything.

He was one of the few Floppers that knew it. This put him rather high above his brethren's level in most slug's point of view. He was happy to accept this. Coupled with his overall friendliness and higher than average thirst for adventure (even for a Flopper) he had a ton of friends scattered all over Slugterra. He visited them as often as he could, using the strangest back streets and craziest shortcuts to get places as fast as he could manage.

So it wasn't as much of a surprise as it could have been when a crying teenager and an inconveniently placed cliff side was his downfall.

Cliffs, were not his worst enemy. Every Flopper had rolled down worse, it was practically a rite of passage among them. In this particular case it was a small path on a cliff side, plenty of room for a slug.

Crying teenager on her Mecca beast? Not good. He wasn't scared per'se of slingers, but there'd been some disturbing rumors going around and he did have _some_ sense of self-preservation. The main issue here was: small path + Mecca + slug = not compatible.

The girl was bawling so hard (over what he had no clue) that she didn't even realize that there was a slug on the path too. He intended to grab her Mecca's leg and catch a free ride, but that plan fell apart when the Mecca stumbled from a piece of the cliff breaking off underneath one of its feet.

"Huh?" The girl sniffed and lifted her red eyes when she thought she heard a small squeaking noise from her Mecca's stumble. She stopped it and looked around. When did she get here?! She should _really_ stop riding when distracted... At least this time she didn't fall off anything...

The poor Flopper squealed in joy as he flew through the air. Oh I'm sorry, did I say poor? I meant lucky. This was WAY better than hitching a ride on a Mecca in his opinion!

He continued to fall, ricochet, and bounce off of random objects as he followed gravity. It was extremely fun, but just as he started wondering how he'd get back up he hit something _metal_ instead of earth.

_*clang!*_

_"Yowch,"_ He grumbled, standing up and leaning against the pipe. _"Wonder where this leads to?"_ He thought out loud.

There was an ominous rumble, causing him to look up and start trembling. Without a doubt he hopped down the tube to escape the miniature avalanche he'd inadvertently started.

And then he fell.

...and fell...

...and fell some more...

The pipe went straight down, with no turns or bends. He wasn't sure how long he fell, all he knew was that it was _boring!_ What was the point of falling if you couldn't fall into things and hit stuff?!

...okay, he could admit that most Floppers could be seen as masochistic...

_Finally_ there was a slight bend in the pipe. He had just enough time to realize that there was an opening before he was launched out of it. Being thrown wasn't the issue, it was how the exact moment he came out he faceplanted hard into the edge of a thick container.

He wasn't sure what happened after that, only that he'd been completely disoriented from the blow. He remembered slipping down the side of the container, and then the sensation of falling again...

And then a splash.

* * *

Blakk was not stupid.

When he began Ghouling slugs he made sure to take at least one example of every slug species he could get his hands on. Once he Ghouled them, his scientists tested and experimented on them.

Thus he knew the abilities of every Ghoul slug and where to best deploy them. He had, of course, had a Flopper tested on in the early stages of the project.

He'd been fairly excited. Floppers were so useless, surely their Ghoul counterparts were the opposite? That was after all the primary effect of Ghouling: a slug's biggest traits were reversed.

The testing was comprised of scientists examining the Ghoul and performing experiments on it, as well as the Ghoul being fired on a sitting target to document its transformation capabilities.

The Flopper Ghoul, named a Whopper, was in general the most unGhoul-like Ghoul any of them had ever seen. Violent? The thing had tried to cuddle with the scientists for crying out loud! Mindless? It was obvious even to Blakk that the Whopper was easily self-aware and intelligent. The only way it showed its Ghouled state was its changed appearance and that it acted strangely every once in a while.

Blakk was willing to overlook its oddities, if only the Whopper showed promise in the slinging field. He was sorely disappointed.

The Whopper never transformed, just like in its natural state. The only thing that happened was that it flashed a bright light when it should have transformed. Firing it seemed to actually exhaust it, causing it to be even more useless after only a few shots.

Blakk had ordered the Ghoul to be disposed of and the experiment a failure. Floppers were officially completely useless to him, and none of his workers were allowed to use them - Ghouled or otherwise. It was simply a waste.

His mistake was not testing it in an real battle.

* * *

The Flopper woke up to extreme pain.

Every fiber of his body burned like acid. He took a small breath and went into a coughing fit as what felt like water got into his lungs.

He lifted his head slightly, antennae waving around sporadically in his disorientation. He was laying in a puddle on concrete floors, large crates and containers around him filled with...

He gasped, choking again. What _were_ they?

Definitely not slugs, or at least not anymore. _"Hey, where are we?"_ He called out weakly to them. He jerked back in surprise when instead of an answer several of them hissed and snarled at him.

_/So whatever did that to them must have taken away their minds too.../_ He thought. He groaned as he head pounded. Why was he hurting so much and what in the _world_ was making the water _stink_ like that?! He brought a pointed hand up to his the spikes on his head in an effort to alleviate-

...hold it.

Back up there.

Pointed?! _Spikes?!_

He gulped and slowly looked down to his hand. While slugs didn't have fingers in their protoforms their hands and arms were easily flexible to make up for it. But slug's (and especially _Flopper's_) hand were NOT SHARP.

His hand was... exactly that. _Pointed_, almost like a giant claw. What truly worried him was the color. No longer was it a lightly colored green, it was a sickening toxic sludge that had a faint glow to it.

He gaped at it before hauling himself up. He tripped and stumbled over to a spot where the foul-smelling water was deeper. He stared in horror at his reflection, at the terrible changes done to him.

His head angled downwards at a dull point, four long spikes extending down his spine. Where there were previously small dots there were now four thick spikes above his eyes. A pair of dangerous fangs stuck out from his mouth where numerous smaller fangs peeked out from behind his lips. His antennae weren't curved and limp, flopping in random directions. They stood stiffly at a sharp angle and bent further back at the halfway pint to run parallel to the ground. The splashes of color around his eyes and covering his stomach were pointed instead of curved and were a deep and poisonous purple.

His eyes... they were what threw him off completely.

Gone were his wide pupils and light green colors. A pair of fierce black slits stared at him from pools of disgusting brown, strange stripes of black crossing the brown.

_"What is this stuff?"_ He whimpered in horror. It was easy to tell that the creepy water was the cause of it, seeing as once he got a closer look he could see the water swirling with a strange dark light.

"Hey! Look, one got out!" He jerked as a voice sounded above him. He had just enough time to look up before a slug tube was slammed over him.

His first reaction was mental, his subconscious squeed in excitement that _he,_ a _Flopper_, was in a slug tube! Almost like he was on a slinger's team!

His second reaction was fear, because he did _not_ want to be anywhere near the people who'd made the disgusting water.

His third reaction... wasn't entirely his. It felt like a whole new being inside of him, it snarled and bared his fangs viciously. He shook his head, feeling the presence settle reluctantly into the back of his mind.

"Well, i''s a nasty un a'ight." Another voice was heard. A small board was pushed under the slug tube, forcing him to jump up and become trapped. The presence stirred at his ensuing panic before he forced it back down again.

It seemed to be some sort of _living_ instinct, reacting in response to his emotions. Which was really not good because he was trying very hard to calm down before he had a panic attack.

* * *

Ghoul's P.o.V.

"What kind is it?" The human holding my slug tube looked at me curiously through the red glass.

"No clue," Another face joined his.

_"Back off!"_ I huddled into the opposite side of the tube, shaking.

"Nah, Ah take it back. This un ain't mean. Look like ya caught a wimp!" The second face cackled.

"I didn't! I bet this one's stronger than any of yours!" The man boasted.

"Yew don' e'en know what it is!" The second man sneered.

"Well then why don't we learn? I can beat you while I'm at it!" I gulped as I was suddenly loaded into a blaster. What was going on?! This human wasn't _serious_ was he?!

"Ha! Ah'd like ta seeya try!" I whimpered at the sound of another blaster powering up and saw the other man through the tip of the blaster I was in.

"Duel!" Both called out at the same time.

I felt a slight warmth from beneath me and then I was blasted out the nozzle. Time seemed to slow.

I could literally feel my speed increasing bit by bit. Time was pretty much slowed down for me. It was how slugs could pull off their tricks and maneuver so well when fired. Our brains sped up when going at high speeds, making time seem to go slower.

I didn't have much of a choice in what was going on, I _was_ already in the air, so I decided to try and enjoy it. There _was_ a chance...

70...

Everything about me had changed, after all...

80...

Maybe this would too!

90...

Now I was _really_ eager!

95...

Just a little..!

100!

...

_"Dangit!"_ Disappointment filled me when I didn't transform.

But then I hit the other slug.

It was changed too, and had a scary looking set of wings on its arms. I was pretty sure it used to be a Tormato. It snarled at me from midair and the instinct inside me bristled.

When we collided I felt a painful pull. There was a bright flash of light and I only just realized that it was coming from _me_ when pain exploded throughout my body.

* * *

**Please read and Review to let me know what you guys think of the story so far! ^^**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Strangest Ghoul**

**Chapter Two**

**Alright then, next chapter here we go! ^^**

**Thank you PLAINAWESOME for reviewing last chapter.**

**[insert random and hilarious Disclaimer]**

* * *

No One's P.o.V.

Several hours later Blakk looked through a cage at a strange Ghoul slug. The Ghoul in question was inspecting its new pair of fully developed wings.

There was no way of telling what kind of slug it had been before being Ghouled, as once hitting the other Ghoul its entire DNA sequence had altered.

And Blakk was _furious._

If he knew what kind it was he would be able duplicate it! There was no _end_ to the possibilities of having Ghouls that inherited the traits of the slugs it battled!

He'd already '_fired' _the lackeys stupid enough to mess up its DNA.

"Doctor Blakk," A scientist cautiously walked up to him.

"Yes?" He replied calmly as possible.

"We've gathered some data on the Ghoul, including the results of tests." The scientist relaxed at his calm(ish) tone.

"Proceed."

"As you know, the Ghoul's natural DNA is long gone," The scientist tensed up again at Blakk's dangerous expression.

"Tell me something I _don't_ already know!" He snarled.

"Y-yes, sir..." The scientist cleared his throat nervously. "We tested to see how the process worked. There was the same light as in the report and the Ghoul still absorbed the DNA from the other Ghoul, but..."

"But _what_."

"Uh, think of the Ghoul as a whiteboard... When it was first Ghouled half of the board was filled with its Ghouled DNA. When it first absorbed other DNA, it absorbed enough to fill in the other half and the two types of DNA mixed. This is why it retained some of the physical properties from the other Ghoul, the fact that a Tempesto has wings, and how the wings were changed to what you see now. Afterwards the whiteboard was full, when it absorbs DNA now it will only absorb the most prominent DNA sequence. Of course, the most definitive feature of any slug or Ghoul is the sequence which contains their velocimorph abilities..."

"The Ghoul simply absorbs the ability of the slug or Ghoul, not any of its physical properties." Blakk finished.

"Exactly, Doctor." The scientist nodded. As Blakk began to question him on any other properties neither noticed the Ghoul watching them with an interested and slightly fearful expression.

* * *

Ghoul's P.o.V.

Years...

That's what I was sure of. Years since I was 'Ghouled' as I'd learned it was called.

Sometimes I felt like it was longer. Sometimes I wished that it felt like less time.

Sometimes I wished I could forget.

It made sense, to experiment on a creature you knew nothing about. It made sense...

But that made it no less painful.

Experiments, tests, all sorts of tortures. Many were done in an attempt to discover what my original species was.

I hope they never learn.

People tend to talk, especially when they don't realize that the Ghoul in the nearby cage is perfectly capable of understanding them. I knew what Blakk used Ghouls for, I knew what he intended to cause. The destruction of Slugterra. That was what would happen if his plan came to fruition.

Fruition, listen to me! I was around scientists too much.

I was slightly worried...

Lately they'd been firing me at different types of Ghouls, making me absorb their abilities. I felt slightly sad for them, it completely exhausted me but nearly killed the one whose DNA I took.

I sincerely hoped I never had to take a real slug's DNA. Of course, that's all it was. A hope.

I did learn some things over the years... mainly about my instinct.

When Ghouled, along with the different appearance and opposite ability a slug develops a powerful instinct. It is incredibly violent and slugs are always pushed to the backs of their own minds as the instinct takes over. At least, I hope that's what happens. Considering that a famous Boon Doc had been unGhouling some Ghouls lately I'm pretty sure that was the case.

Somehow I could control my instinct, and I got the feeling that it wasn't as mindless as normal instincts too. I could rely on it to help save my life, especially when Blakk's idiots went too far and I had to either go wild or get killed.

I'd recently begun to reason with it. It did seem to be capable of actual thought, though it couldn't stop being stubborn and vicious. I just had to show him that it was MY body and that _I_ was in charge. I kept referring to it as a him every once in a while, though considering it definitely wasn't part of me I was fairly certain he was his own being.

It also helped me by serving as a sort of sixth sense, picking up on things I wouldn't otherwise notice. He was even starting to grow on me, though only barely and I still detested its raw violence.

But... back to my original point.

They were preparing me for something, I knew to had to do with slinging. How did I know?

They would fire me, usually at more of Blakk's men. If I didn't return to them as fast as possible I was punished. A metal contraption had been molded into my chest long ago, its harsh prongs digging into my flesh to keep it in place and make it more effective. When they wished to punish me they pressed a button somewhere and I was electrocuted. Not a small little shock either, but enough voltage that I was left writhing in pain on the ground.

They were _training_ me, thinking I was simply another dumb Ghoul. Sadly... it was working.

I was broken. I knew it. I had realized it the first time I flapped my wings at full speed, eager to get back to my current slinger so I didn't get punished. I'd _realized_ it then.

I'd _accepted_ it by the time I was back in my cage, eating my ration of food that was slightly larger than normal as a reward.

I had accepted it. I didn't like it, but I was just _tired_.

Tired of hurting. Tired of trying to be defiant. Tired of pushing my stupid instinct back, the stubborn annoyance he was.

If given the chance to escape, I wasn't sure what I would do.

Would I risk the punishment? Would I risk the pain in order to be free?

I didn't know.

But I was afraid of the answer either way.

* * *

I was right.

They finally took me and shoved me into a standard sized slug tube with no regard to my wings. A short while later I was fired at some random person who'd foolishly gotten into a battle with Blakk's men.

I could do dozens of different types of Ghoul attacks, but my strongest was my Tempesto attack because it was the first one I'd absorbed. They couldn't exactly tell me what attack to use, that would mean they knew I understood them. So I used my Tempesto attack most of the time, doing some fast (or not so fast from my perspective) thinking and using other types depending on my situation.

It kind of made me sick, the cold indifference I felt when I carefully planned the best way to beat my target I was fired on no matter who they were or what the consequences. I truly was beaten...

For a while I was lucky and didn't get fired directly at any slugs. My luck eventually ran out.

He was a simple Hop Rock, nothing unordinary. I was slightly curious in a morbid sense in what the difference between a slug and Ghoul's abilities were. I contemplated what they might be with a dull look as I reached ability speed. I still didn't have a velocimorph, I only gained velocimorph _abilities_. I knew that I'd never absorbed a Hop Rock's DNA before so I didn't bother activating any ability.

There was a familiar pulling sensation, the familiar light, and then the familiar crippling pain. But I heard something upon contact that I'd never heard from Ghouls.

I heard the panicked screams of pain.

_"Oh God it hurts make it st-AAAAGH!"_ The Hop Rock's scream rose and cut off as we both fell to the ground.

I was used to it all, and weakly pulled myself up to return to my current slinger. I accidentally looked at the Hop Rock.

Pain. I saw it and recognized it. Tiredness. Something I could relate to. But the raw _fear_ of _me_ I saw in his eyes stopped me. The Hop Rock stared at me in horror, struggling to even move its arms to get away.

_"I..."_ I shook. This was far different from absorbing Ghouls, I'd known it would be. But I didn't know it would be _this_. _"I'm_ sorry_,"_ I croaked harshly to him, voice not used to speaking.

The Hop Rock stared, baffled, as I wearily raised my aching wings and gave them a harsh flap to lift off.

_/I'm so, so sorry.../_ I thought dully as I slowly flew to my current slinger, letting the wind dry the single tear that managed to work its way down my cheek. The only reason I wasn't punished for being slower than usual was because I was always slower after absorbing DNA and he'd been told that.

I was shoved back into a slug tube and I hardly flinched as my wing was stuck in a painful curved, half-open position. It sucked having fully functional wings in protoform.

I blankly tried thinking of what had just happened. My mind refused to function properly. Everything in me was slowly shutting down.

Terrible enough that I'd been tortured and experimented on for a madman's gain. Unthinkable how I'd just put a perfectly normal slug through unbearable pain essentially so _I_ could gain their abilities.

Didn't matter that I had no possible other choice. I'd still done it.

I had never thought much about the word unthinkable. But now I'd truly found something that was _literally_ unthinkable. My mind refused to work. My thoughts were blank.

_Crack_

I was soon loaded into a blaster and launched again at another slug, an Armashelt. Another croaked apology.

_Splinter_

Again, but a Frostcrawler. _"Sorry..."_

_Fracture_

A Jellyish from a slinger who was out of slugs and only had one last-ditch attempt left. Tears. _"I'm sorry..."_

_Shatter_

A Thresher from a kid, barely old enough to hold the blaster she'd picked up off the ground. _"I... sorry..."_

_Pieces falling_

A Tormato that was scared to death, obviously having seen what I'd done to the other ones. _"So... so... so sorry..."_

_Falling and breaking apart_

A Thugglet, glaring at me angrily the whole time. _"I-Im so sorry..."_

_Breaking until nothing but dust remains_

Finally, someone fires a slug I've already gone up against. An Armashelt. I respond only because my instinct has taken over. He naturally chooses the ability I'd absorbed from the earlier Armashelt.

Gasps of shock and horror from the few still conscious and the fewer still resisting.

_Gone_

The instinct fully takes over. I don't even resist as the pitiful hollow I used to call my mind is pushed, surprisingly gently, to the back.

I watch completely empty as the instinct continues doing as it's told. I'm no longer truly there.

Finally the physical strain that should have knocked me out long ago takes full effect and I sank into blessed nothingness.

* * *

No One's P.o.V.

The whispers spread across Slugterra. They spread even faster through the slugs, who were truly disgusted.

A Ghoul absorbed slugs' abilities, nearly killing them in the process.

It had begun as a simple skirmish, Blakk's men had attacked some loud mouthed protestors. They'd fought back and both sides were evenly matched. Until The Ghoul arrived.

From that moment moral had plummeted and the fight was all but lost. The slingers unlucky enough to have been targeted head on were left with broken bones and painful fractures. The slugs who'd had their abilities absorbed nearly died.

It took weeks for the slugs to heal and regain their strength. When other slugs were told what had happened they were _angry_. Angry at Blakk for creating such a dangerous Ghoul and angry at the Ghoul itself. Oddly enough, the first eight slugs who'd been absorbed seemed sad. When asked why, they never spoke.

They simply couldn't find the words to describe the agony and _suffering_ they'd seen in The Ghoul's eyes. They knew that what they had felt was nothing compared to what that creature was going through.

They also knew that no slug would believe them.

* * *

**Alright, in case anyone was wondering why this is rated T... Heh heh... ^^" But if you think about it, a slug in his situation would come out mentally scarred. He's pretty much still a slug inside too.**

**I'm willing to start accepting OCs for this, by the way. ^^ I've never done this before in any of my stories and I'm wanting to try to challenge myself with writing a character I don't know by heart. Here's the thing: It will be a L. O. N. G. time until any of them come in, unless it's a special case. And there might reach a point where I have a perfect amount of OCs and any more would completely ruin everything. So if you want me to use one of your OCs, tell me in a review or send me a pm. DON'T give me the Bio in the review, I have my own one that's set up just so I can understand the character from my point of view. I'll send you the character sheet to fill out and if there's anything extra there's even a little Extra: section.**

**Again, PLEASE don't put the Bio in the review. Thanks. :D Please Read and Review and tell me what you guys think of this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Long time no see, right? Heh heh... *awkward silence* Anyways! I'm back with the next chapter! Finally! Yaaaay! There's a lot of p.o.v. changes this chapter...**

**Thank you to WATERMELON-S33DS, PLAINAWESOME, piplup40, you've got potential (guest), Twiphase, Nagasha, and Guest (anonymous) for reviewing last chapter! I only just looked back and realized that I had no less than SEVEN REVIEWS in my SECOND CHAPTER! If you guys really love this story so much I'll definitely try to remember it!**

**I own my adorable, poor little Whopper! Nothing else! **

* * *

**The New Ghoul Chapter Thee**

It took only a short while for the rumors to reach the Shane gang, but it took weeks before they were forced to face The Ghoul in a battle.

Trixie had saved Burpy, recognizing the large wings and launching a slug to intercept them. Her slug had barreled into Burpy just in time to prevent The Ghoul from hitting either one of them.

"Don't let that Ghoul hit any of your slugs! It's _The_ Ghoul!" She yelled, whipping out her camera.

She tried following its path through the air but it flew too fast. Nobody knew exactly what it looked like; except for its wings. When put in its slug tube its wings curled around it, when fired it quickly wrapped itself in an attack, and even while flying it was too fast.

She swung her camera around to keep it in her sights, not noticing what it was doing as it banked around. Her eyes widened as the blur shot towards her.

"Trixie!" Eli yelled, not knowing what to do when he couldn't fire any of his slugs.

She flung herself flat against her Mecha just in time, feeling the rush of wind over her. There was a loud crash somewhere behind her. She was about to go follow it when a normal Ghoul was fired at her from the left and she was distracted.

* * *

_Burpy's P.o.V._

I rushed after the noise. If I could at least get a glimpse of The Ghoul I might be able to learn _something_ about it!

I hopped deeper into the mushrooms where I was sure it had gone. Heck, maybe if I was lucky it would try running away! Having a Ghoul wandering around wasn't a good thing, but it was definitely better than Blakk having control over it.

I wandered around for a few minutes, not knowing where it might have landed. There was a slight growl up ahead and I slowly crept forwards…

Only to have to cover my mouth to stop from laughing.

The Ghoul was stuck.

In a mushroom.

It had managed to wiggle itself free most of the way, but its large wings were hampering its movement. I snuck forwards to get a better look.

_"Stupid mushrooms!"_ My jaw fell in shock. A _Ghoul_ was _talking_?! _"Urgh, why does this happens to me?! It's WAH!"_ It finally popped free, falling to the ground and landing on its left wing. I couldn't help but flinch as a nasty crunch sound filled the air.

I hid behind a rock, watching him (I was pretty sure I should be calling The Ghoul a he not an it) secretly.

There was a loud growl and he burst into vicious snarls when he tried to stand up. It was a few minutes before he'd managed it and his wing laid at a painful looking angle behind him.

_"Oh __**that's**__ going to hurt for a __**long**__ time…"_ He groaned. He suddenly looked up with wide eyes. _"Nonono, how much time do I have left?! Please don't tell me…"_ There was a loud click from his chest and the sound of ticking. He gave a pained yelp as he started hopping back towards the fight, not caring or simply ignoring his injured wing flopping limply behind him.

I didn't follow right away, too busy trying to figure him out.

Since when could Ghouls speak? I'd _never_ heard a Ghoul make any sounds other than growls and such. Plus, he'd acted _scared_ of something. I didn't know what of, but I had a sinking feeling it had something to do with Blakk. Not to mention that clicking sound. What had that been about?

The strangest thing was… when he spoke, he sounded _dull_. Like he was forcing himself to feel anything. Like he was _empty_.

When I started back I only had one thing in mind.

Finding some answers.

* * *

_The Ghoul's P.o.V._

After my mental breakdown I managed to… _sort of_ recover. I moved and did as I was told, but there was always a blankness inside me.

I couldn't feel happy, that much was obvious. But I couldn't really feel much else either. It was like a glass wall between me and most of my emotions. I could see them and imitate them, but I never truly felt them. There were a few things that I _could_ feel with all too much clarity.

Pain, mostly. Physical and mental. There were the ever present fear, horror, and burning hatred. A lot of my time was spent wallowing, trying to keep myself partially sane. I'm not so sure it worked.

My encounter with the Shane gang was… interesting to say the least. Not once did I have to absorb a slug's DNA. Of course, that might have something to do with my shattered wing and the electrocution I went through when I couldn't get back fast enough.

I had gotten a short break after that while my wing healed. As a slug I didn't have bones, but my wings had powerful cartilage that was almost as hard. It still broke a lot easier than bone.

After I healed I was put through more experiments to try and strengthen the cartilage so there wasn't a repeat. I think I preferred my wing being shattered into multiple pieces.

Unbelievable, I've actually numbed myself enough to what happens to me to make serious jokes over painful injuries. Go figure.

* * *

_Burpy's P.o.V._

Luckily for me Eli wanted to try and learn more about The Ghoul too. The whole team headed to a small cavern where one of the first slingers to fight against The Ghoul lived. He owned a Hop Rock that had been hit by it and absorbed, so Eli wanted to hear everything from the source.

That was perfectly fine by me.

Once we arrived in the city we had to find his house, though it was pretty easy once we asked around. We finally knocked on the door and a normal looking guy opened it curiously.

"Hi, what can I do for you?" He looked at all of us.

"Hi, I'm Eli Shane. We heard about your encounter with The Ghoul and wanted to ask you some questions." He gave a friendly smile and the man looked at him for a few seconds before nodding and inviting us in.

Once they were all seated on the couch I hopped out of my tube and onto Eli's lap.

"I'm Lander Pike, it's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about the newest Shane. What exactly do you want to know?" He fidgeted slightly.

"Just tell us what you saw and exactly what happened." Trixie pulled out her camera and began filming.

"To be truthful, everything was hard to make out. It was kind of chaotic." Lander chuckled awkwardly and pulled out a slug tube. "I drew Chunk here and fired him off at this guy who was about to shoot." The Hop Rock jumped out of his tube into his slinger's hand. "Then the Ghoul that'd been shot spread these big, freaky wings and started glowing. Then…" He shuddered. "It must have been horrible, Chunk was screaming something awful…" Chunk looked to the side and shivered slightly. "After that Chunk was so tired he could barely move."

"Were there any lasting effects?" Trixie pressed. Everyone let her take control over the questions, since she was likely to ask better ones than they would.

"Well, he was tired for a few weeks after but once he got his strength back he was fine." He set Chunk down, the Hop Rock jumping off the couch and out of the room.

I looked up at Eli to make sure he was distracted before hopping off the couch. I snuck out in the direction Chunk had left until I caught up with him, knowing the rest of the 'interview' probably wouldn't reveal much else.

_"Hey Chunk!"_

_ "Oh, hi."_ He stopped once he realized I was there. _"What's up?"_

_"I'm Burpy, just wanted to talk to you myself."_ I smiled.

_"Sure."_ He shrugged nonchalantly. _"So why are you guys doing coming around asking about The Ghoul of all things?"_ He looked at me curiously.

I fidgeted for a while, unsure of how to start. _"Just curious, really. We had our own run in with him. I wanted to ask you… did The Ghoul do anything, I don't know, not very Ghoul-like?"_

He gave me a strange look. _"Actually… yeah."_ He seemed almost wary. _"Why?"_

_"I __**might**__ have heard him talking at one point."_

_"Oh."_ Chunk blinked.

_"Yeah. So what did __**you**__ see?" _

_"It was after he hit me, I was terrified but I was too drained to move away. I looked at him and all of a sudden…"_ He shook his head. _"I don't know. You know how they say the eyes are the window to the soul? Well his were. And he just looked so __**tired**__, not exactly physically, but mentally. I was too shocked to say anything but he looked like he was about to have a breakdown when he saw me. Then he just said… 'I'm sorry'. I swear my heart just broke, it was like looking at a fingerling who got in trouble for something they did on accident."_

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ "He just… looked like he had no choice in it."_ Chunk frowned. _"He looked like he didn't want any of it to happen." _He shrugged. _"But really, how could that be true?"_

_ "I saw something… I think,"_ I tapped my chin. _"That that might actually __**be**__ true. When __**I**__ saw him he looked scared out of his mind at one point."_

Chunk tilted his head. _"That… __**does**__ explain something."_

_ "What?"_

_ "Again, something I could see. You'd think he'd've been all intimidating."_ He shook his head negatively. _"No. Not at all. He was sort of slouched in on himself and he was lifting his wings like he was trying to protect himself."_

My eyes widened. _"Really?"_

_ "Yeah."_ He nodded. _"What do you think is going on with him?"_

_ "I don't know, but I plan on finding out."_ I looked him in the eyes determinedly.

The Hop Rock smiled. _"I hope you do, I get the feeling something's really wrong about all this."_

_ "Me too. That's why I'm going to see if I can get a chance to talk to him."_

* * *

_"I hope you figure it out!"_ Chunk waved from his slinger's shoulder.

_"Thanks!"_ I waved back from my spot on Eli's shoulder.

"Well that didn't really help." Trixie sighed.

"I know, I kind of expected something _more_." Eli shrugged, frustrated.

"Maybe if we come across it again we might learn more about it?" Pronto suggested.

"Too dangerous," Trixie pointed out. "It's _The Ghoul_. We need to be extra careful if we have to go against it again."

"That means we'll have to start training, learn how to fight without firing our slugs at other slugs. We were pretty much defenseless when we couldn't fight back." Eli nodded confidently.

"How are we going to do something like _that_?" Pronto's voice bordered on a whine.

"No idea but we'll figure it out as we go!" I snickered as Eli made Lucky bolt forwards, challenging the others to a race.

Pronto was left sputtering as Trixie and Kord raced after us, the molenoid's slugs laughing at him.

* * *

_The Ghoul's P.o.V._

My days passed by regularly.

Get food ration. Eat. Wallow. Mope. Vaguely growl and mutter at people around my cage. Get squished into a slug tube at some point. Get shot at other slugs. Let the instinct take over. Go back to slinger. Eventually get put back into cage. Do it _all_ over again.

It probably didn't help my mental state that I refused to sleep, but the nightmares were annoying. It was easier to stay up until I crashed so I could have a dreamless sleep.

Speaking of the instinct though…

_'You should probably swoop under that branch there…'_ I thought dully. He snarled absently at me. He couldn't actually speak, but I was learning to understand the tone of his sounds out of boredom.

There was a growl pitched in a very certain way. Surprise, and slight confusion, with the typical undertone of aggression that so far seemed biologically hardwired into him.

I looked 'past' his presence controlling my body, wondering blankly what could have him reacting that way.

_'…What does that idiot think he's doing firing an X-Mitter?'_

* * *

**Oh? What's this? Did I just write a sort of cliffhanger? Lol idek anymore. If you guys think, you'll see where I intend on doing with our cute little Whopper next chapter. ;)**

**Please Read and Review, let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Not even gonna get into the list of reasons this is late! Enjoy!**

**Thank you Liliana Dragonshard, SuperactivatedRobotboy, Nagasha, Coooool123, and Guest (Anonymous 1) for reviewing last chapter!**

**1st Anon: The idiot wasn't anyone in particular, just some random moron who forgot what X-Mitters do.**

**2nd Anon: Are you trying to rp? I like rping and I'll gladly rp with you but I'd prefer doing it over the pm system instead of in the review system.**

**[LOUDLY SCREAMS DISCLAIMOR]**

**EDIT: Sorry, not an update, just fixing an error I'd made by calling Burpy an Infern_O_ instead of Infurn_US_.**

* * *

**The Strangest Ghoul Chapter Four**

_No One's P.o.V._

The Ghoul frowned and came forwards against the instinct.

Sure enough, some bonehead was firing off an X-Mitter of all things. The Ghoul didn't even try avoiding the blast of sound, bracing itself and using the wave to soar higher.

He faltered in his flight path as a loud click sounded from his chest. He banked sharply but circled lazily in the sky when more sounds patterned out before coming to an abrupt stop. His wings went weak and he was forced to fly low and land before his light-headedness made him crash.

Was he free? Was the object that had brought him endless pain defective thanks to some idiot with an X-Mitter? For that matter, what kind of coincidence _was_ that?

He'd never known any of the scientists to mention proofing the transmitter for contact with an X-Mitter, but then again as far as he was aware there _wasn't_ a way to proof electronics against an X-Mitter.

Well, there was really only one way to find out…

* * *

He waited for days, hidden underneath a rock outcropping. He waited with hope, fear, and _horror_ swirling in a jumble of chaos in his mind. He knew, logically, that after a certain time period he _had_ to be free.

But he was frozen in indecision and terror. His body refused to move so long as there was even the smallest chance of his freedom being in question.

It spoke of his poor mental state that he wasn't even aware of the signs of starvation and dehydration.

* * *

"I don't know Eli, I don't think we're gonna find anything." Kord shrugged helplessly.

"This is the last place The Ghoul was spotted," Eli insisted, looking around them with a watchful eye. "It hasn't showed up _since_. I think something happened. Did you _see_ those search patrols Blakk sent out?"

"There _is_ the possibility that The Ghoul ran off, or flew off as it were." Pronto stroked his mustache thoughtfully. "If we were to find it and UnGhoul it, imagine the blow we could give to Doctor Blakk!"

"Wouldn't he just Ghoul another slug the same way?"

"I don't think so Kord, if Blakk could make more I think he would have by now." Trixie pointed out. "I mean _come on_, a Ghoul that copies other slugs' abilities! You'd think he'd have made a whole army by now."

"Trixie's right," Eli nodded and directed his attention to their search. "Everyone split up, we'll have a better chance on foot." He slid off of Lucky and Burpy hopped down to the ground.

The Infernus slug joined the search as they all went their separate ways, choosing to look in the underbrush where only a slug could reach. Most of the other slugs took a similar approach.

Burpy couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. All the local slugs must have been scared off by Blakk's men because the cavern seemed to be deserted. It was disturbing to hear the complete silence where he should have heard life.

Doc picked up on his uneasiness and tagged along with him. This was an advantage since the Boon Doc could feel if a Ghoul was nearby.

Which, apparently, there was.

_"Over here, I think,"_ Doc chirruped curiously.

A large rock rose a few feet above the ground, small cracks and holes visible near the bottom. It was _prime_ coverage for slugs.

They approached the rock carefully and peered into the holes. Despite their suspicions and Doc's senses they were both surprised when a pair of murky brown slitted eyes looked back.

_"Whoa!"_ Doc yelped and quickly backed away. Burpy merely jumped with wide eyes.

_"Go find everyone else, I'll make sure he doesn't go anywhere."_ Burpy lit a hand on fire as he stepped away from the hole's edge warily. Doc nodded with wide eyes and hopped away frantically. With any luck, it would be a while before anyone arrived. _"Hi there,"_ He put out his fire and came forwards to look in the hole. _"I'm Burpy."_ The Ghoul didn't respond, eyes locked on him. Burpy frowned. The eyes were wide open but glazed over as if he wasn't paying attention. _"Do you have a name?"_ Still no response.

Burpy's frown reached worry and he jumped to the left experimentally. The Ghoul's eyes didn't move at first, staring vacantly at the space where he'd been. After a few seconds they jerked wildly and attempted to track the slug's position. It took a few seconds but they eventually settled on him again.

_"Are you okay?"_ Burpy bent down to gaze deeper into the hole, trying to see him better. _"I know you can talk just like any other slug, you don't have to be scared."_ He was happy to see something click in The Ghoul's eyes. _"Do you have a name?"_ He repeated.

_"…no…"_ The voice was the same deep, rumbly voice he'd heard before, but it was scratchy and barely louder than a whisper. _"…free..?"_

Burpy blinked. _"Free? Are you asking if you're free?"_ A wheezing grunt was all he got as a confirmation. _"Well, I'd say that's up to you. Are you free?"_ Burpy looked him in the eyes searchingly.

_"…hurts… pain… they… make me…"_ Light glinted off of something and the slug was astonished to see tears flowing from the Ghoul's eyes. _"…__**make**__… stay…"_ A painful sounding sob ripped its way from a dry throat.

_"That made you do things, didn't they?"_ Burpy whispered in horror. _"They __**forced**__ you to do all those things."_ Tears pricked in his own eyes when all he got was a pained whine in response. _"Well…"_ He tried to swallow the lump in his throat._ "You chose to stay here, didn't you?"_

The murky eyes closed. _"…yes… __**chose**__… pain… broken… __**free..?**__"_

_ "I… I think you're free then."_ Burpy crawled down into the hole carefully. _"I think you can make your own decisions now."_ The eyes opened to warily watch Burpy shuffle closer.

_"…free…"_ The eyes closed again briefly before opening again, something different in them. _"...__**free**__."_ He rasped. _"…like…"_

Burpy couldn't help smiling brightly. _"Like I said before, my name's Burpy. I'm an Infernus slug and my slinger is Eli Shane."_

_ "…Shane..?!"_ There was a hitch and Burpy realized The Ghoul was breathing roughly. _"…against Blakk."_

_ "That's right, we're completely against Doctor Blakk."_ He nodded firmly. _"And we're willing to help you. The slingers with us are __**great**__ people, they wouldn't dream of hurting you. So… do you think you could let us help you..?"_

The Ghoul just looked at him like he'd grown two heads. _"…__**you**__ helped… follow… help __**you**__… don't need… to ask…"_ Before Burpy could reply The Ghoul was coughing harshly.

_"Come on then, we should probably get out of this hole."_ The Infernus tried to hide the worry in his voice. He was right next to The Ghoul right now and though his skin didn't crawl like it did around most Ghouls he didn't touch him for fear of panicking him. _"…how long have you been down here?"_

The Ghoul didn't say anything, already trying to shuffle up the incline. With his wings taking up so much space Burpy had to wonder how he'd squeezed into the hole in the first place.

When Burpy finally jumped out of the hole The Ghoul was just standing there silently. He winced when he got a better look at him. The already unnatural looking skin was grayish and pale, his antennae and wings drooping with no effort to hold them up.

_"Are you okay?"_ Burpy couldn't help fretting, the poor thing looked _terrible_ and he always took care of the other slugs when they were injured or sick.

_"…"_ The Ghoul clearly considered lying for a moment. _"…no…"_ He tried for a shrug but all the movement ended up as was a slump.

There was suddenly a yell of surprise and then Kord was standing a few yards away pointing a blaster at them. Doc was already hopping away back in the direction they'd come in, possibly for reinforcements.

_"Damnit!"_ Burpy cursed, the cave troll could be ridiculously quiet sometimes if he wanted to be!

The Ghoul automatically let out a weak snarl, wings trying to lift up in either an attempt to fly away or look bigger. It failed since he couldn't even pull them all the way off the ground and they flopped back down limply.

Kord luckily noticed this and powered down his blaster (much to Bludgeon's disappointment) and walked a few steps closer. He knelt down in front of them to get a better look.

"Burpy?" Kord noted with surprise.

_"Yeah, and he's not gonna hurt __**anyone**__." _He obviously couldn't understand Burpy, but the protective stance the slug took in front of The Ghoul was more than enough for him to get the meaning.

Kord reached his hand forwards curiously and The Ghoul shrunk back behind Burpy with another tired snarl.

_"If he… Will! Bite!"_ The Ghoul panted out, far too tired from the strain of crawling out of the hole to form anything near a proper sentence. _"Away!"_

_ "__**Kord**__ of all slingers isn't going to hurt you,"_ Burpy scolded, moving so The Ghoul couldn't hide behind him. _"He's the biggest softie on the team! Of course, __**none**__ of us would ever hurt you, but Kord especially won't."_

_ "…slinger..?"_ The Ghoul eyes the hand less threateningly.

_"What?"_ Burpy tilted his head in confusion. _"What are you asking?"_

Kord took the lack of violence as an invitation to come closer and set his hand on the ground a few inches away. He waited patiently as The Ghoul tilted its head sharply.

"It's okay little fella, I'm not gonna hurt you." The troll cooed. Burpy rolled his eyes at the baby talk but that seemed to do the trick. The Ghoul stumbled up against the large hand and Kord slowly and cautiously brought the other around to cup him in both palms. "Hey, you're not so bad," Kord grinned as he carefully stroked one of the scraped up wings.

Now that he was laying down The Ghoul obviously had no intentions of getting back up. He laid there with his eyes closed, wings struggling to pull up closer to him until Kord carefully nudged them to a more comfortable position himself. Tenderly shifting The Ghoul to one palm Kord offered the other to Burpy. The Inferno gladly accepted, grinning happily for his new friend.

* * *

Everyone met back at the Mechas in disappointment.

"Anything?" Eli asked hopefully.

"Nope, not a single sign!" Pronto declared as he popped his back and groaned.

"Sorry Eli, nothing." Trixie shrugged apologetically. "But maybe Kord found something? He's not back yet."

"Maybe-" Eli was cut off by first Doc jumping frantically through the bushes and then Kord tripping out after him, Burpy sitting on his shoulder and his hands cupped around something. "Kord!"

"Shh! I think he's sleeping!" The troll hushed them, grinning wildly.

"Who?" They all traded wondering looks.

When Kord was close enough for them to see the tiny form curled up in his palms they all gaped.

"Isn't he adorable?" Kord cooed, thoroughly catching all of them off guard.

"Kord, that's _The. Ghoul._" Trixie said slowly, eyes wide.

"So?"

"_So?!_ For all we know, that thing has poison skin!" Pronto shrieked. Both Kord and Eli shushed him.

"It _does_ seem kind of… harmless." Eli admitted, looking at it carefully. He quickly noticed the sickly look it had.

"_He_," Kord insisted. "Not just harmless, I think the poor guy's sick. Just look at him!" He carefully rolled The Ghoul over so that they saw more than his wings and back.

The Ghoul didn't even open his eyes, too tired and bleary from lack of food and water. His breathing was shallow and ragged; easily audible to the slingers despite his tiny size. Burpy hopped from Kord's shoulder to stand next to the limp Ghoul. He looked up at his slinger pleadingly.

Eli didn't even need to ask what for. "You sure, Burpy?" The Infernus nodded confidently with a chirp. "Well then."

"What?" Trixie asked.

"So we can keep him?" Kord looked like a little kid on Christmas.

"_What?!_" Even Trixie shushed Pronto.

"…I guess?" Eli shrugged with a sheepish look. "I mean, he seems harmless and Burpy's rooting for him, but he's a _Ghoul_ so…"

"Don't worry Eli, he'll be perfectly safe, I swear!"

* * *

"So what are you going to name him?" Trixie asked later as they walked along the road on their Mechas.

Kord looked down to where The Ghoul was still huddled in his hand. "I don't know, I mean The Ghoul isn't really a name, so that's _way_ out."

"He's pretty spiky, maybe Spines?" Eli suggested.

They were surprised to hear an indignant yowl. The Ghoul struggled up to a sitting position and glared grumpily at them.

"I'm guessing no." Kord looked down on him. He was doing a little better now that he had some food in him and had a chance to rest.

"We don't know much about him to name him anything," Trixie pointed out. "So this is probably going to be a little tricky."

_"Do you have an idea of what you want your name to be?"_ Burpy chirped from his slinger's shoulder. The rest of the slugs were avoiding The Ghoul and hiding in their tubes. _"Do you even __**want**__ a name?"_

_ "Don't care."_ The Ghoul grunted. _"Just… don't want a name a slug would have."_ While Burpy looked at him in puzzlement the slingers were still debating.

"I still say it's a creepy little… thing." Pronto huffed and The Ghoul glared extra hard at him. "What?"

"Creepy? No, Creeper! What do you think little guy?" Kord smiled. The Ghoul mulled it over as Burpy facepalmed at the baby talk yet again.

He finally chirped in a positive way.

"Creeper huh? Sounds like a Ghoul's name alright." Trixie couldn't help looking at the newly named Creeper with trepidation.

"Now Trixie, he's been pretty calm so far. I don't think he's like other Ghouls." Eli defended as the neutral party of the team.

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks for reading and please Read and review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well lookie here I actually updated on a regular time schedule. Probably because for _once_ I've been absorbed in the Slugterra fandom when I was writing this chapter. =w= Warning: Lots of feels ahead and a super duper long chapter over 2,800 words which is about 400 words above my usual but the scene was too amazing to cut short.**

**Thank you PLAINAWESOME, Liliana Dragonshard, WATERMELON-S33DS, Nagasha, Wild Imagination 7, Guest (Anonymous), Ana Paula (Guest), also two other Anonymous Guests who appear to be the same person (?), and Paint the Wolf (Guest) for reviewing last chapter! :D**

**Ana Paula: Unfortunately, I don't really speak Spanish. I'm only surviving my two years of Spanish class through relying very very heavily on my Spanish Book's Index. :I And also common sense which most of my classmates apparently don't have because _obviously_ the only answer that's a question is the _only one with question marks._ If anyone is fluent in Spanish and willing to do a translation feel free to get in contact with me!**

**Paint: I was pretty ecstatic when I saw you'd reviewed this, tbh. XD Yes Creeper is a poor little guy because I keep torturing him. :3**

**[DISCLAIMER]**

* * *

**The Strangest Ghoul Chapter Five**

_Creeper's P.o.V._

So far I'd been with these slingers a full two days and surprisingly I was feeling almost… okay. I wasn't happy but I wasn't feeling any negative emotions either. In fact I _think_ I might ALMOST be content. I wasn't there just yet though.

I'd chosen the cave troll as my owner the second I'd heard him talk to me.

'_It's okay little fella, I'm not gonna hurt you.'_

So softly, so kindly, so _honestly_. There were no lies or allusions in his voice. I was too confused and disoriented at the time to fully comprehend my reasoning but he sounded so _nice_ and his smile had been so _kind_ I couldn't have denied him even if I'd _been_ fully conscious.

And now, having been _cared for _by him for two days I'm fairly certain I've been in a state of shock the whole time.

First, they didn't set me at a ration. The cave troll had offered more food and water once I finished what he'd initially given me. Once I'd eaten that he'd offered even _more_. I'd actually had the novel feeling of being overstuffed by the time I realized I literally needed to _stop myself_ from eating because he wasn't going to.

Once that had been over and done with he had tested how much I was willing to allow him to touch me. It had been _extremely_ nerve-racking (for the both of us, I believe) and the Ghoul instinct had even ripped control from me and snapped at him a few times.

But I managed to get it under control once it was evident that the cave troll didn't intend any harm. His fellow slingers had actually feared _me_ harming _him_ and tried to convince him to stop his attempts.

'_It's not his fault, Blakk's people probably NEVER pet him! He just thinks I'm going to hurt him! I just gotta make him realize I won't.'_

Hearing his real intentions had been surprisingly comforting and despite my reflexive cringing I'd forced myself to allow the 'pets'.

They were strange. They were very _very_ strange. But he'd been so innocently _happy_ that I'd allowed them every time since. To the cave troll's credit, he always given some form of warning so I knew the contact was coming. So he was kind _and_ intelligent.

He did seem worried about me not sleeping though. It didn't bother me, Blakk's scientists had often been perturbed by my refusal to sleep except when drugged, but then I continued to hear no apparent reason behind his worry.

It took a while until I remembered that normal creatures _cared_ for each other and worried when one's health seemed less than optimal.

This was amusing on several levels (and wasn't it a delight to feel amusement again, even as muted and bitter as it was). First that he worried for my wellbeing with no ulterior motives. Second, the idea that my _lack of sleep_ of all things was even anywhere _near_ the top of the list of things wrong with me. Third… the fact that he deemed me deserving of his worry, as if I was _important_ TO him not for his goals.

I was just a Ghoul. A broken, screwed up monster who'd been forced into torturing and brutally wound countless other creatures. I didn't deserve even being _thought of_ as a normal creature and I certainly wasn't _worthy_ of such a kindhearted creature worrying over me. Perhaps he was unaware of my… reputation? I'd assumed every creature in the 99 caverns knew about the monstrous Ghoul by now.

Nevertheless there wasn't anything I could do about it. I wasn't going to risk harming or frightening him by 'acting out', which was the only option available to make him dislike me and stop worrying over me as if I deserved it.

* * *

Despite my reluctance and my prior experiences with nightmares I didn't really have a choice. My body required rest. I held it off but soon it reached a point where either my body shut down and I was _forced_ into sleep or I slept willingly and got to _choose_ where it was I had to lower my guard. There was an obvious preference over randomly collapsing somewhere.

The cave troll had a habit of carrying me in his hands wherever he went. I was unsure as to the point, but he kept his fingers spread out and his palms flat and open so I was given no reason to feel disturbed by it. I also was dimly pleased to note than his skin was warm and too thick for my spines to accidentally prick him

I was not, however, willing to be held while sleeping. It would be a quick, short nap that allowed my body rest without the threat of nightmares. The cave troll should not even notice my absence, as we'd arrived at a 'Hideout' and the troll was currently doing maintenance on Mecha. He'd set me down nearby him as he worked and spoke constantly at first but was now utterly absorbed in his task.

I lifted myself from my huddled, energy saving slouch on the workbench and stood straight to scan the room. There were plenty of slugholes (occupied, it might be noted, by the cave troll's slugs) scattered around the garage but it would be far too easy for someone to locate me. No, I would need to find a place more hidden and inaccessible.

That brought up my advantage over the majority of slugs and Ghouls alike. I scanned the ceiling methodically and was satisfied with the sight of several support structures I could likely use as cover.

I checked that the cave troll was suitably distracted and stretched out my wings. With how tense and on guard I'd been they were stiff and cramping from being constantly hiked up on my back and/or ready to fly if necessary. Once I'd released a few of the kinks in my muscles I shuffled and flapped oddly to the edge of the workbench. Allowing myself to fall off I went into a swopped dive and swept up to the ceiling without having to flap my wings once.

I stopped midair with a flare of my wings and dropped an inch to land on one of the structures. It took a few moments but I eventually found a secluded crack in the corner of the ceiling that looked as if it were invisible from below.

Curling up tightly into the crack and wrapping myself in my wings protectively as always, I ignored the faint sense of something wrong. Perhaps… unease. I didn't bother with it and released the remaining tension from my muscles and dropped straight into deep, deep sleep.

* * *

_No One's P.o.V._

It was dark. Everything was dark but it didn't bother him. The roaring, snarling presence in the back of his mind was simply _gone_ and everything was impossibly quiet.

Something was holding him, smothering him, _crushing_ him. It was too tight and suddenly he was _back in the Ghoul tube_ and his wings were in agony. He was hurting and he no _space_ he didn't _fit_. Why didn't they understand that?! Why did they keep _hurting_ him?!

He struggled but his wings hit the edges of the tube and shot with pain. He wriggled and thrashed because he needed _out_ this wasn't _right!_

The X-Mitter had freed him! The Infernus had spoken to him and the cave troll had _helped_ him! He wasn't supposed to BE here anymore he was supposed to be _safe!_

The tube was far too small but then his thrashing in the painfully confined area became wild tumbling as he _fell_.

The instinct snapped awake and into an uncontrolled glide, spitting wildly in panic and terror. The not-alpha wasn't awake he was screaming and making noises and the instinct was _overwhelmed_ by the fear pounding in the not-alpha.

Big-hands-warm-skin-soft-voice made a noise of surprise when the instinct dropped from the ceiling hysterically. Big-soft-warm tried grabbing it but the instinct swerved sharply away.

Not-alpha was _shrieking_ in pain but the instinct only felt what they always did. How were they being harmed? Not-alpha was being attacked by something?

It couldn't think straight at all and crashed into a wall. Big-soft-blue was coming at it and it was _terrified_. Was Big-blue the one attacking not-alpha? He was confused, so very very confused and not-alpha was _still_ screaming and what little thought processes the instinct had were being overwhelmed.

Big-blue took advantage of its confusion and grabbed it. Instinct was _mad_ and _frightened_ and he made his spines _bristle_ in defense. Big-blue made a noise of pain and the instinct felt wild glee but Big-blue didn't _let go_.

The instinct struggled but Big-blue _held on_ and instinct _couldn't fight_ and _couldn't escape_. He yowled loudly to voice its displeasure and confusion and fright and Big-blue was making _noises._

They were some of not-alpha's noises _but not-alpha wasn't in control_ but then he _was_ and suddenly the instinct was howling and spitting into nothing.

Creeper couldn't stop the growling and snarling, they were natural reactions on his part at this point, but he _was_ aware that he'd had another nightmare. Only this time it hadn't ended he was being _crushed_ and he needed to be let go NOW.

…but then… eventually…

Words trickled through. He could hear Slugterrian and it was _kind_ voice and suddenly he wasn't afraid anymore.

He _hadn't_ dreamt it. He actually _was_ free and he _wasn't _being crushed. Now that he could think he was actually being held rather gently even though some thick, hot liquid was sticking to him and he couldn't help but bristle because it was _wet_ and the last time he'd gotten really _wet_ was when he was turned into a monster.

But then the _kind_ voice hissed in _pain_ and Creeper discovered his eyes were working right again. He was surrounded by _blue_ and _red_ oh no _what_ had he DONE?!

He froze stiff and cried out in terror and _horror_ how could he EVER hurt the cave troll?! Now he'd be hurt and possibly killed (even though death seemed pretty nice right about now) because he'd just done the most _monumentally STUPID_ thing in his entire LIFE!

"Come on Creeps, calm down, it's okay, you're safe little guy," Words trickled back into his consciousness after a few minutes of NOT getting hurt and Creeper looked at the cave troll in shock. "Oh man, you're okay, aw man you gave me a heart attack, are you alright little guy?!"

The cave troll was _scared_. He looked worried out of his _mind_ and Creeper felt a warmth in his heart that he couldn't remember the name of or the last time he'd felt it.

Creeper wanted to badly to croon in assurance to the cave troll. He shouldn't be worried, not over _him_. But all that came out was a hysterical and frightened whine.

* * *

Kord hadn't exactly expected Creeper to fall out of the ceiling growling and snarling like the Ghoul he was.

Of course he _had_ noticed that he'd managed to slip off, and Kord was definitely concerned about that, but Creeper seemed a lot like a feral slughound and Kord knew a lot about them. His uncle used to capture and domesticate feral slughounds and one of the things Kord remembered being taught about them was that they either never slept alone or never slept in the presence of a possible threat. Kord wasn't _that_ optimistic that he believed Creeper didn't see him as a threat on some or many levels.

He'd _assumed_ (because Creeper looked about ready to drop off where he stood the last time Kord looked) that he'd snuck off to find somewhere to sleep in seclusion.

When he'd heard the shrieks and growls of panic he'd hit his head pretty hard on his Mecha (thank you, helmet). It took a minute, but eventually he had the sense to listen to the source and look up just in time to have a heart attack. Creeper was falling quite a distance and his wings were flailing uselessly and not serving any purpose.

Luckily for Kord's blood pressure he snapped out of it and flipped into a glide. But for some reason the Ghoul kept _snarling_. Even stranger was the fact that the growls sounded _scared_, not angry or frightening, though he still sounded vicious.

When Kord tried to catch him, since his glide didn't look anywhere near controlled, it was a shock to see Creeper flail mid-glide and veered sharply away. While Kord felt slightly hurt (he couldn't really help it despite knowing Creeper had good reason to) he was more concerned with the fact that Creeper then crashed abruptly into a wall.

He knelt down in front of the disoriented Ghoul and weighed the risks of getting close. It was the raw crazed terror Creeper was showing that decided it for him. He picked Creeper up swiftly and _immediately _understood all the cautionary talks his uncle had given him in feral animals because he saw _exactly_ when he went from 'maybe-not-a-threat' to 'threat-defend-_attack _' in Creeper's panicked state. The five previously-not-very-dangerous-looking spines lined up on his back bristled up in fright.

Kord cursed loudly as they sliced easily through even the tough skin of cave troll hands but refused to let go. Creeper obviously wasn't aware of what was going on if the despairing cries were anything to go by.

"Hey there little fella," He cooed, ignoring the blood trickling onto the floor. "You're okay little guy, it's alright, I'm not going to hurt you."

Kord continued cooing soft assurances and making calm, nonthreatening movements to the terrified Ghoul. He actually got to watch as Creeper seemed to realize where he was and the distressed snarling came to a stumbling halt.

The cave troll gently and cautiously released the pressure on the Ghoul to allow hi his freedom back. That seemed to speed up his recovery time.

"Aw man you gave me a heart attack," He rambled on in relief. "Are you alright little guy?"

It was very surprising to hear an almost pained whine.

Kord promptly freaked out and probably jostled the Ghoul around a lot trying to see if he was hurt. Of course it took s hot minute before Kord went looking for a damp rag and cleaned his _own_ blood off if him first. Once content that Creeper was physically okay outside of some scrapes on his wings Kord stopped and took in the suddenly complacent Ghoul who kept making pitiful whines.

He set Creeper down on a table briefly but then Creeper actually _cringed_ the same way he had when Kord first started petting him.

"You think I'm going to hurt you," He realized in astonishment. "Oh no little guy, I'd _never_ hurt you! You didn't _mean_ to get me with your spines! It was a total _idiot _move to grab you when you in panic mode too, it was probably the stupidest mistake I've made in years. It wasn't your fault, Creeps, I'll _never_ hurt you, and I'm not angry at you at all." Kord hadn't _always_ talked to his slugs like they were people, but living with Eli usually gave most people that habit. Kord was very glad of this acquired habit when he easily saw the contemplative air of the skittish Ghoul.

Creeper sat on his open palms for a few minutes trembling before letting out the loudest whine yet (though it was airy and more of a sigh-like sound) and sweeping his wings around himself protectively. He didn't however, hide behind them and Kord beamed.

He brought the Ghoul up to his chest in as close to a hug as he could manage but quickly stopped at the suspiciously squeaky sound Creeper made.

"Oooh, you must not like small spaces!" Kord's eyes widened and Creeper tilted his head in curiosity. "Aw Creeps, sorry for holding you so tight before." He smiled again when Creeper made a growl-like chirring sound that was _almost_ like a sound slugs made often. This time when Kord tried to 'hug' him he didn't cup his hands around him.

Creeper cautiously almost experimentally, pressed himself up against the cave troll. He was completely caught off guard by how comforting both the feel of the cave trolls body heat and heartbeat was. Kord used one hand to idly scratch him under the chin and suddenly Creeper knew _exactly _what the point of 'pets' were. It felt so goooood…

Without even meaning to Creeper ended up dropping back into his interrupted nap, while Kord just beamed wider and settled him on his shoulder lose to his neck where he wouldn't fall off.

…Then he went to wash his hands and find some bandages before any of the others walked in and had heart attacks.

* * *

**Remember folks that Creeper has incredible trouble feeling regular emotions at the moment. He's also in very much need of affection and scritches and cuddles and Kord's just the type of guy to be perfectly happy with that. :3 If it wasn't very clear, the Ghoul instinct doesn't really... "think" in the conventional sense. He's more or less a screwed up interpretation of a wild instinct. Unlike an _actual_ animalistic instinct, which is fairly calm and gentle when not hunting or fighting, the instinct is completely violent and WANTS to actively hurt people. It's just Creeper having more "hold" over him that makes the instinct not follow through on this. And yes, there were a _slagton_ of implications and very slight foreshadowing slipped in there this chapter. I love subtle things. :)**

**Please Read and Review, let me know what you think about Creeper's development so far. ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys! It's been a while because I've had problems with internet. I really hope you love this chapter because I really do!**

**Thank you to PLAINAWESOME, Liliana Dragonshard, Twiphase, lala32903, SepticEye, 1098 (Guest), and jokers girl (Guest) for reviewing last chapter!**

* * *

**The Strangest Ghoul Chapter Six**

_No One's P.o.V._

Creeper woke up slowly. If he was in immediate danger he could snap awake in a moment, but otherwise it was more productive to slowly regain consciousness. He remembered the events prior to his accidental nap as sensations filtered in.

First was the feeling of _warmth_. He could place that. The cave troll had been holding him when he accidentally fell asleep (and wasn't he kicking himself for that). Next was the sharp ache in his right wing. That he couldn't _quite_ remember, but he'd flailed a lot so it was possible that was behind it.

Once he had taken in all the physical sensations he could Creeper slowly cracked open his eyes. The light was average but he was in a shadow. Looking around as far as he could see the Ghoul realized he was on the cave troll's shoulder tucked in close to his neck.

He moved his wings first, making sure to stretch his right wing thoroughly. The pain didn't bother him but it could hinder him if he needed to fly suddenly. He flinched when one accidentally hit the cave troll on the head, but then remembered what his spines had done. If the cave troll wasn't bothered by that then Creeper doubted a small nudge would offend him. He did feel bad about that though.

"Hmm?" Kord was brought out his concentration on the Mechas by a small tap on his helmet. He looked around in confusion but the shuffling on his shoulder reminded him of the Ghoul sleeping there. "Hey Creeper, you awake little guy?" Kord put down one of his tools and held a hand up.

Creeper tilted his head when the cave troll obviously wanted him to climb onto his hand. There wasn't really any reason not to.

Kord smiled when the Ghoul did an awkward hop-flutter onto his palm and he pulled the little guy down so he could see him. It seemed he had trouble moving around on the ground with how big his wings were.

"Hey, you alright bud?" Kord scratched under his chin and Creeper chirred deeply in appreciation before jerking in surprise. "You were pretty freaked out before. I hope you got some sleep at least." Kord smiled as he kept petting him and Creeper eventually untensed and leaned into the touch.

Creeper was surprised that letting another creature touch him could feel so _nice_. He hadn't even _realized_ he liked it until the instinct took over his throat. There was no harm in it, as far as he could see, and despite his confusion of the emotion he was feeling he allowed the Ghoul to continue a deep rumbling hum sound.

Kord blinked. That sounded suspiciously like purring to him, but he wasn't about to say anything.

At least Creeper was feeling better _and_ the Ghoul was showing trust in him!

* * *

Kord had noticed his slugs were avoiding Creeper the past week (and the Ghoul simply didn't bother attempting any form of interaction with them) but he didn't pay it much mind. It was painfully obvious even before that the Shane gang's slugs were not going to like having Creeper around.

But Burpy apparently didn't seem to be following that idea.

"_Hello!"_ Burpy hopped up by Kord's worktable. Creeper was sitting on Kord's shoulder as usual, a place the Ghoul didn't ever seem likely to leave. He only ever left when Kord went in the bathroom or went to sleep. In both cases Burpy was _almost_ certain the Ghoul was brooding in the ceiling supports again.

Honestly 'brooding' was the only way to describe _anything_ the Ghoul did. He didn't show a lick of any other emotion than dark looks and narrowed eyes. Only Kord could seem to draw anything else out of him and Burpy was considerably worried when Creeper looked confused every time Kord showered (constant) affection over him.

"…" Creeper blinked at him and his wings tightened up on his back. Not expecting the silence, Burpy scratched the back of his head with an awkward chirp.

"_Er, I didn't really try talking to you before now because you… seemed like you needed the space. Especially with the uh… nightmare? Kord's other slugs saw that, and really that's the only thing I could think of it being."_ Burpy was happy that he was on the table because Creeper's spines bristled dangerously and his wings spread out as if to intimidate… no.

Burpy quickly shook that thought from his head and looked at the Ghoul more carefully. Antennae were a slug's way of expressing emotion, spines and wings were likely the same with Ghouls. Or at least Burpy hoped.

The bristling spines could mean a lot of things. Burpy wasn't even going to _get_ into the long list of things they might be showing. But Creeper's wings weren't spreading out, they were _curling around him_. _'Is he… embarrassed?'_ Burpy thought in surprise. Of course! That must be what the spines were showing too.

Creeper must be embarrassed about having a nightmare – if that was what it really was. Burpy wasn't going to straight up assume anything just yet.

"_Er, it's alright."_ Burpy shrugged, winging it and just hoping Creeper was aware that he got the body language message. _"His other slugs were actually pretty surprised to see you act like that. I'd say it's a win. They aren't really happy to accept you but at least they're thinking along the lines of you being more than you seem."_

Creeper knew what the Infernus was talking about. The Infernus knew very much about him. Not anywhere near the truth, but still more than anyone else did. The Infernus knew he hadn't been doing anything of his will. The Infernus knew that Creeper had the mind of a slug. And the Infernus very likely knew that Creeper had been the focus of… unpleasant things beyond being forced to fight.

Creeper didn't care about the slugs, but the Infernus seemed to be implying that Creeper should be getting in their favor. Creeper… wasn't sure how to respond to that concept. Was it a cleverly hidden order to make nice with the slugs? Creeper hadn't ever taken orders from a slug before. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to.

The Ghoul instinct firmly vetoed that option with a snarl in the back of his head. Creeper ignored him and shoved him back when it tried to push for control to make in a vocal snarl. Creeper was _not_ offending this Infernus.

He decided to go with a… _safe_ comment, though he didn't exactly want to speak.

_"…his… other slugs?"_ Just like before, Creeper's voice was rough and the unsteady slug language was very close to being unrecognizable by the growl in his voice. He didn't seem to be upset or violent, so Burpy decided that the growl was a natural thing for Ghouls. Huh. Creeper had a 'Ghoul' accent.

Burpy tilted his head at the strangely quiet question. _"Uh… yeah? He's your slinger isn't he? Plus you don't exactly act like a Ghoul."_

The Ghoul instinct was strangely very agitated by that comment. Creeper closed his eyes and battled him mentally for a few seconds before managing to respond. _"I am a Ghoul."_ He glared at the Infernus. _"I am no slug. I can never __**be**__."_ There was no mistaking the anguished tone in his dull voice.

Burpy frowned. _"No… you are whatever and whoever you choose."_ Creeper's antennae twitched oddly and Burpy found himself at the center of a very intimidating but confused glare.

Creeper's spines flattened abruptly and his wings followed suit. The Infernus slug was suddenly struck by the thought that Creeper was absolutely lost. The poor Ghoul just looked so _confused_ at the notion he was his own _being_. It hurt to watch him stumble around, unsure of what to do or how to really function.

It also made Burpy _extremely angry_ at Blakk for whatever he'd done to this creature.

_"It's okay to be confused," _Burpy finally added on. _"Nobody is really ever sure of themselves. Everyone's a little confused. Some are just a little more than others."_ Burpy offered him a small hopeful smile. _"Just… try to be yourself, okay? Try to be who you're supposed to be. I know that's probably hard, but I'll be here to talk if you ever want to."_

Creeper didn't smile back, but he blinked slowly and his wings raised themselves off Kord's shoulder and to an actually _relaxed_ place on his back. Heh, maybe Burpy was getting the hang of Ghoul body language!

Kord tinkered on obliviously.

* * *

While the rest of the Shane gang had followed the slugs' example and mostly ignored Creeper, Eli was still very curious about him. He was a Ghoul and yet they'd ALL seen Kord petting him and baby-talking him. Even _slugs_ tended to react negatively to baby talk, much less a _Ghoul_, so Eli figured Kord must definitely be onto something.

"Be careful Eli, his spines bristle when he feels in danger." Kord warned as he held Creeper out towards the forcefully calm Shane.

"Why do I get the feeling I don't want to know how you know that?" Eli joked as Creeper eyed both the human and the cave troll, the latter with a slight hint of betrayal. What exactly was going on here?!

"Probably because you don't." Kord grinned sheepishly back, knowing everyone had noticed the bandages on his hands. He'd blamed in on his tools at the time. "Let's just say I found out he panics when he's in small places the hard way."

"Ouch," Eli said before paying more attention to the slightly bigger than average Ghoul. "Hey there, I'm Eli." He smiled softly as Creeper tensed up. Burpy had quickly hopped up on his slinger's shoulder when he cottoned onto what was happening and the Infernus gave Creeper a reproving look.

_"Eli is one of the best and nicest slingers you'll ever meet, ALL slugs like him! He's definitely not going to hurt you. He just wants to get to know you like Kord has been."_

Creeper eyed the approaching hand warily but seeing as this was the 'Alpha' of the group… the Ghoul instinct was actually caught between biting at the fingers and cringing away from them.

"Easy there little bud, Eli's just curious." Kord said soothingly as Eli cautiously held his hand flat.

Creeper's wings went from flat in caution and fear to rigid in a heartbeat. Burpy frowned as Creeper shuffle-flapped over to Eli's hand. What was that? Creeper didn't trust Eli at all and Burpy more than knew that Creeper didn't just let untrusted creatures touch him, much less handle him.

Was it what Kord had said? Watching as Eli and Kord traded their own worried looks, Creeper practically vibrating in sheer nerves and tension, Burpy saw them come to the same conclusion.

Eli didn't move his hand away from Kord's. "You know you don't have to, Creeper, if you don't want me holding you that's okay." He tried.

Creeper very very clearly looked up at Kord for verification.

Kord couldn't help a sigh. "You don't have to do anything you don't want, little buddy, and Eli's definitely not gonna want to make you uncomfortable." The Ghoul even looked at Burpy in confusion, as if to make sure he was hearing the right words. Burpy nodded at him with a bright smile.

Eli was slightly disappointed when Creeper quickly flapped-hopped back to Kord's hand, but the Ghoul seemed nervous but relatively okay with him petting the backs of his wings instead.

Creeper wasn't exactly sure why so many creatures seemed determined to touch him but he could at least admit he liked having his wings pet. Again he allowed the instinct to hum in pleasure.

Eli, unlike Kord, had no reservations about finding that funny. "Is he _purring?_"

"He's _humming_," Kord defended for the sake of his Ghoul's pride when his antennae flattened and his spines bristled. "And just be happy he's even letting you _hear_ it." He was also close to having his bandages sliced off by unknowing Ghoul spines but he wasn't about to say so.

Eli wisely stifled his snicker. Burpy didn't really care and let loose a few, ignoring the glare sent at him that had no real weight behind it.

* * *

**Creeper's learning to make his own decisions instead of taking orders~**

**I feel like a cruel excuse for a human being every time I write all Creeper's introspection and issues and all that stuff. ;w; He so saaaad.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and sorry for taking so long to get it here!**


End file.
